Researchers identify melatonin as a possible COVID-19 treatment

The results of a new study led by the Cleveland Clinic suggest that melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and is commonly used as an over-the-counter sleep aid, may be a viable therapeutic option for COVID-19. It suggests that.

As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, the number of cases called “fall surges” is increasing, and the diversion of drugs already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for new therapeutic purposes continues. The most efficient and costly.Effective approach to treatment or prevention disease..According to the survey results released today PLOS biology, A new artificial intelligence platform developed by researchers at the Lerner Institute to identify potential drugs for COVID-19 diversion, has revealed that melatonin is a promising candidate.

Analysis of patient data from the Cleveland Clinic’s COVID-19 registry also shows that melatonin use can be positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) after age, race, and race adjustments. It was found to be associated with a reduction in sex by about 30%. Complications of smoking history and various illnesses. In particular, the reduced likelihood of being positive for the virus increased from 30% to 52% in African Americans when adjusted for the same variables.

Dr. Feixiong Cheng, an assistant at the Cleveland Clinic Institute for Genomic Medicine and lead author of the study, said: “Large observational studies and randomized controlled trials are important to validate the clinical benefits of melatonin in patients with COVID-19, but we are excited about the relevance shown in this study and the opportunity to further investigate them. I am. “

Here, researchers used networked medical methodologies from patients at Cleveland Clinic and extensive electronic health records to identify clinical symptoms and conditions common to COVID-19 and other illnesses. Specifically, the association of host genes / proteins with 64 other diseases across several disease categories (malignant and autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, neurological disease, lung disease) We measured the proximity to high objects. The higher the proximity, the more likely it is to be pathologically related. During illness.

They are, for example Respiratory distress syndrome Sepsis, the two leading cause of death in patients with severe COVID-19, was highly associated with multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins. “Then this signals us,” Dr. Chen explained. medicine If treatment for these respiratory disorders has already been approved, there may be some utility in the treatment of COVID-19 by acting on these shared biological targets. “

Overall, they are autoimmune (eg, Inflammatory bowel disease), Lungs (eg, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease And Pulmonary fibrosis) And neurological (eg, depression and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorderThe disease showed significant network proximity to the SARS-CoV-2 gene / protein, and 34 drugs were identified as potential diversions. Melatonin Chief among them.

“Recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 is a systematic disease that affects multiple cell types, tissues, and organs, so knowledge of the complex interactions between the virus and other diseases is not available. , The key to understanding COVID-19-related complications and identifying reusable drugs. ” Dr. Chen. “Our research provides a powerful and integrated networked healthcare strategy that predicts the symptoms of COVID-19-related diseases and facilitates the search for effective treatments.”